Sexy swords and sandals epic winds up - but is Lucy's new show too hot for
NZ TV to handle?
THE CAST and crew of big-budget American TV production Spartacus: Blood and
Sand farewelled international stars John Hannah and Australian Viva Bianca
last week at inner-city Auckland bar La Zeppa. The raunchy show has been
courting controversy ever since it was revealed that strippers were cast as
extras. Rumours are it features full-frontal nudity, orgies and naked battle
scenes. Scheduled to screen in the US in January, there is no word on
whether Kiwis will see the R-rated series dubbed "the boldest show on
television".
Hannah, the Scottish actor best known for his roles in Four Weddings and
a Funeral and The Mummy movies, stars as as Batiatus, the husband of Lucy
Lawless' character Lucretia
Hannah kept a low profile during his six months in the country but was
spotted out and about in Auckland at Borders bookstore, beachside in Mission
Bay and at Ponsonby's Chapel Bar. "He would just grab a drink and sit by
himself but he was really friendly and would say 'Hi' to anyone that
approached him." says our production insider. He also made the most of his
limited recreation time, squeezing in a trip to Napier for Easter with wife
Joanna Roth and kids, five-year-old twins Gabriel and Astrid.
The big budget show, rumoured to have cost around $50 million, is tipped
to run to seven seasons if it performs well in the US. However, while series
two is pretty much a certainty, there is no confirmation they'll be filming
in New Zealand again. Because the .series is mostly "blue screened" with
computer generated backdrops, it can theoretically be filmed anywhere. "We
might end up in Bulgaria for season two who knows!", our insider reports.
